Turn to the Cross during this time of uncertainty and upheaval

Editor:

“Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set,” is an admonition from God’s precious Bible. Before we topple more statues and tear down more fences that our fathers erected, we might consider more carefully why they were put up in the first place.

As we witness cheering crowds tearing down our ancient landmarks, it is a vivid reminder of how the leaders of our major institutions have systematically removed God from the public as many stood idly by. The hope our community and nation so desperately needs will not be found in a political uprising, progressive revolution, new president or the tearing down of monuments.

Our nation is in turmoil not because of our president or one’s political bent. Our greatest problem is spiritual, and no amount of political activism or social pressure can fix it. Our nation is in turmoil because sin is now widely embraced, and Jesus Christ is widely marginalized. We should not wonder where God is in our present chaos. He was asked to leave our institutions long ago and graciously consented. But in repentance and faith we can invite Him back!

We need not elevate one skin color above another. We all come from one common ancestor: Adam. We need not bow a knee to political activism or social pressure. Our knee must bow to the Lord Jesus Christ. More laws are not the answer. Just look at the recent foolishness from our highest court that now endangers females under the guise of a civil right! God has given us over to our own foolishness.

I urge our community, its leaders, and the neighbors I love and proudly serve, to please consider the monument God erected 2000 years ago. A wooden cross where the greatest act of injustice and justice is memorialized for all to visit. God became a man, entered our fallen and hurting humanity, knowing He would be violently rejected, crucified, and left for dead. But, in God’s great love, Jesus Christ paid the penalty for the sins of all mankind, was buried, and rose again.

That monument memorializes for all, regardless of skin color, gender, social status, or stigma, where true hope is found, and where injustice of every kind is remedied. Calvary’s cross points to the solution to the great upheavals of our day and their root cause: Sin – yours and mine. May we repent and believe the gospel of our glorious God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

While we discover the meanings behind the monuments that have been toppled, I pray each of you will also reconsider, and then visit, the monument that should never be removed: The old rugged cross. That monument alone points us to the person of Jesus Christ where forgiveness for and freedom from sin is found. His gospel is the answer to what threatens our civility and society. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near. May God bless you.

Pastor Steven Pawley

Antioch Anabaptist Church

Medina